Long before bubble gum and minty freshness, ancient Greeks chewed tree resin and the Maya chewed chicle sap to clean their teeth. That same chicle helped launch modern gum when 19th-century inventor Thomas Adams tried (and failed) to turn it into tires—so he flavored it instead.

By 1893, Wrigley turned gum into a national craze with clever ads and iconic flavors like Juicy Fruit. Then in 1928, Walter Diemer at Fleer invented bubble gum by accident—and it was pink only because it was the only dye on hand. Dubble Bubble was born, and it sold out on day one.